94 winchester in 32-40

[freakonaleash]

I just started loading for this and loaded some 175gr .323 boolits for it and shot about 20-30 rnds. It shot great with lowish velocity loads. So, I go to clean this out and pulled out some lead, not bad but lead none the less. I then slugged the bore and found it to be .320. Am I trying to push too large of a bullet through this? No signs of pressure

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Hi--welcome to the forum! It pays to be pretty precise in your questions, so I'm guessing that you were shooting cast lead bullets, and like you said, they left a little lead? I would say that generally .002" to .003" over bore diameter is a good place to start for cast, but would perhaps not be too good using jacketed bullets. Assuming that you're shooting cast lead, saw no pressure signs, the leading could be due to the alloy of the lead. But you can drop down .002" and see what happens.

[freakonaleash]

Yes, lead from Miester bullets measured .323. The bore is in excellent condition. The first ten shots put five of them through the same hole at 50 yards resting my elbows on my knees.

[fordwannabe]

I won’t say most but I will say lots of commercial casters use a harder alloy than necessary. Do you have any idea what the brinnel hardness number for those bullets was? Next question, when you were done shooting was there a film or gooey spot at the end of the muzzle? Should have a “lube star” at the end of the muzzle if the lube is working appropriate for the load. Good luck.

[725]

As above, the measurement of your bore vs the diameter of your bullet is an important factor. Experimentation will give you the answer. Hardness is a factor to consider as well as the type of lube used. Changes in any of those may / may not yield something better for you.

And, of course, welcome aboard. Everybody here has been where your are. All questions are good and several various answers may all be correct. Lots of ways to skin a cat. .

[missionary5155]

Good after noon and Welcome about the place !
If you are looking for a hunting load that one will connect.
Can you scratch those slugs with your finger nail ? At low velocity hard "no scratch" cast may not expand at all. So you would want to bust shoulders / bones.
Is the lube in the grooves hard or soft ?
If there is a phone # on the box you can call the seller and ask also.. More info = Better help.

[freakonaleash]

Thanks all. According to Miester bullet co..." Our bullet alloy composition is 2% tin, 6% antimony and 92% lead." with a BH of 14-16. So I'll endevour to percivier and do some more loading and shooting....that is what it's all about anyway. What I really need to do is concentrate on just this one gun till I get it fgured out. I recently purchased 3 94's of all calibers and am fidddling with all of them at the same time.
I have been reloading for about 20 years now, lots of cowboy action stuff, buffalo guns and schuetzen, mainly real black powder. I took off on long distance stuff 5 years ago with heavy bolt guns and jacketed bullets but the super acuraccy of these guns actually got boring. I won't be hunting with any of these winchesters as they don't qualify as "legal" in Iowa. They just allowed straight wall rifle cartridge, but the bullet size starts at .357. BTW, this is the greatest forum ever, all you have to do is type what you're looking for in the search bar and you come up with several hours of reading. I have used it for decades now.

[AntiqueSledMan]

Hello freakonaleash,

I'm using the RCBS 32-170-FN in my 1893 Marlin.
The first ones I shot were Key Holing with my 7 parts wheel weight & 1 part 60-40 solder.
As it shot jacketed bullets good, I stiffened up my mixture to 3 parts wheel weight
& 1 part 60-40, for a little harder bullet & it shoots fine now.

AntiqueSledMan.